Protective garment for female adult and youth sports participants

ABSTRACT

A lightweight, female youth and adult protective garment for use in playing sports (ie. volleyball, lacrosse, gymnastics, rugby, ice skating, wrestling) or any activity where an individual may experience injury to the areas between the waist and mid-thigh (ie. iliac crest, greater trochanter or coccyx). The garment implements an inseam of 6 inches or less and utilizes limited visible shock-absorbing pads. These pads are designed to adhere to a cloth material (ie. spandex, Lyrca®, nylon). The pads included on the garment are specifically placed on the inside of the garment in high prone injury areas of the pelvic girdle. The purpose is to relieve possible discomfort and reduce injury while maintaining a smoother appearance. This also provides a level of desired mobility for the active individual. The garment can be worn as a uniform, an integrated part of a uniform, or as an independent garment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 62/596802, filed Dec. 15, 2017 and entitled “FEMALE YOUTH AND ADULT APPAREL DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE REGIONS OF THE PELVIC GIRDLE.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates to sportswear garments, and more particularly to protective sportswear garments that provide for hip and tailbone protection while maintaining a more slender appearance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of protective gear during sports activities helps athlete safety. During sports activities, participants can be subject to numerous types of injuries. One area of particular importance is the pelvic girdle area. The pelvic girdle is home to bones such as the iliac crest, greater trochanter, coccyx and other important body parts defined in the areas from the waist to the mid-thigh of a woman's body. When a woman falls, she may sustain an injury to bone structures in the pelvic girdle area such as hip pointer, cracked hip bone and other painful injuries. However, some effects may not be immediate. For example, repeated minor injuries can increase the likelihood of arthritis in the hip joints. As such, regardless of the degree of damage at the time of the fall or the frequency at which falls occur, protection is important. The use of protective sports gear helps to reduce or prevent such injuries.

However, while there are protective garments in a multitude of designs and options for men, there are considerably fewer options available for women. In some sports where protective gear is available for men, it is not adapted for women. In many cases, this is because women's uniforms are shorter in length and seek to maintain the aesthetic look without bulky padding. In addition, the rules of contact in women's sports are often times different. Despite this disparity, women are vulnerable to the same type of injuries as men and can benefit from the same level of protection. For example, in volleyball when a player digs for the ball, she extends the body forward and may land on her stomach making the anterior superior iliac spine susceptible to injury. Or, in lacrosse, the player who dives to pass the ball and lands directly on her side, places the greater trochanter or iliac crest in danger. In ice skating, the skater who falls backwards and lands on her buttocks could possibly injure her tailbone. Each of these instances places the active individual in danger of immediate or long-term injury.

Another population that can benefit from protection is that of youth. During youth, there is a greater likelihood for falls and injuries because of the lack of knowledge in the sport. Some youth begin sports training as early as the age of eight, leaving them susceptible to injuries early on.

Many current solutions have garments that are bulky, do not match the body of a woman or youth, and/or do not provide protection for all three areas of the hips, thighs, and tailbone in one garment. In addition, many of these solutions are undergarments that require additional outer garments to cover up the padding while failing to provide support to all of the necessary areas of concern. As such, a need exists for sports gear that can be comfortably worn as a lightweight outer garment that can effectively provide protection for all areas of concern while providing protection from varying levels of impacts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for protecting sports participants from various injuries to the pelvic girdle area. In one embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed that is a protective garment having an inner lining and an outer layer. A plurality of pads are integrated into a cavity defined by the inner lining and the outer layer of the protective garment. Each of the plurality of pads is integrated at a particular location so as to simultaneously protect multiple areas of a pelvic girdle area of a wearer.

In another embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed that comprises an inner lining, an outer layer, and a plurality of pads. The plurality of pads are integrated into a cavity defined by the inner lining and the outer layer and each of the plurality of pads is integrated at a particular location so as to simultaneously protect multiple areas of a pelvic girdle area of a wearer. The multiple areas of the pelvic girdle area include an area defined by the anterior/superior iliac spine, an area defined by the tailbone (coccyx) and lower back hairline, and an area defined by the iliac crest and the greater trochanter.

In yet other embodiment, an apparatus comprising an inner lining, an outer layer and a plurality of pads is disclosed. The plurality of pads may be integrated into a cavity defined by the inner lining and the outer layer, wherein each of the plurality of pads is integrated at a particular location so as to simultaneously protect multiple areas of a pelvic girdle area of a wearer. This includes an area defined by the anterior/superior iliac spine, an area defined by the tailbone (coccyx) and lower back hairline, and an area defined by the iliac crest and the greater trochanter. The apparatus further includes means for allowing access to the cavity in order to removably insert the plurality of pads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of a protective garment in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B illustrates a back view of the protective garment in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1C illustrates a side view of the protective garment in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an inner lining and an outer layer defining a cavity in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a protective garment in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A illustrates a front view of padding to be used with a protective garment in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side view of padding to be used with a protective garment in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is designed to provide a lightweight, protective garment having the aesthetic appearance of an outerwear garment and that can be worn as such. An outerwear garment eliminates the need for extra layers of clothing, and a wearer is less likely to forget protection, thereby making it more convenient for the wearer. The garment can be realized in the form of a short, skirt or full body one piece where the focus of protection is the pelvic girdle region of the body. These design forms will allow athletes the flexibility of matching the garment to a sanctioned uniform or specified sport specific attire (e.g. volleyball—a spandex like short, lacrosse—a spandex like short under a skirt or looser short, wrestling—a singlet). The garment provides protection in three areas. In the back of the garment, protection of the tailbone and hairline of the lower back is provided. On the sides, the garment is designed to protect the general areas of the iliac crest down to the greater trochanter. In the front, the garment protects the general areas of the anterior/superior iliac spine. Padding in the garment is designed to be aesthetically unnoticeable while still providing the support to reduce likelihood of injury. Pads may be permanently affixed to the garment using a method that maximizes a seamless and smooth look. As used herein, protection refers to structure for reducing impact forces that the body may encounter when taking part in sports activities.

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of a protective garment 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although illustrated as a pair of shorts, protective garment 100 may be any suitable athletic apparel including a unitard or a skirt. Protective garment 100 may include a front portion 101 a, back portion 101 b (shown in FIG. 1B), side portion 101 c (shown in FIG. 1C), padding 102 a and 102 b, padding 102 c (shown in FIG. 1B), padding 102 d (shown in FIG. 1C), inseam 103, waistband 104, inner lining 105 (shown in FIG. 2), and outer layer 106. The outer layer 106 may be made from any suitable material designed for athletic use such as spandex, Lycra®, or nylon. In one embodiment, outer layer 106 may be made from a polyester/elastane fabric. The inseam 103 of protective garment 100 may be 6 inches or less so that the measurements of protective garment 100 matches those of current uniforms. Padding 102 a-d may be sown into a cavity 108 (shown in FIG. 2) defined by the inner lining 105 and the outer layer 106 of protective garment 100, such that they are permanently affixed in place and are not visible from the outside of protective garment 100. In this way, protective garment 100 may provide protection to the wearer as discussed in further detail herein. In some embodiments, the locations of the cavity 108 defined by inner lining 105 and outer layer 106 where padding 102 a-d are to be sown may include high friction material (not shown). The high friction material may further secure padding 102 a-d in place and prevent unnecessary movement of padding 102 a-d. FIG. 1A also illustrates the front rise 111 of protective garment 100, which is defined as the distance from the top of inseam 103 to the top of waistband 104.

Padding 102 a-d may be sown into the cavity 108 such that each of the padding 102 a-d faces (or, protrudes toward) the user, thereby reducing the “bulkiness” of the protective garment 100′s appearance. Referring to FIG. 2, the outer layer 106 may have a generally planar configuration. However, inner lining 105 may extend over and along the sides of each of pads 102 a-d to join with outer layer 106 (e.g., through stitching, adhesive bonding, or thermal bonding) at the perimeter of each of pads 102 a-d. As a result, padding 102 a-d may protrude inwardly thereby making the appearance of the outer layer 106 seamless. This allows protective garment 100 to be used as part of a uniform or on its own without the need for additional clothing. Each of padding 102 a-d may be in the general shape of an isosceles triangle, similar to a guitar pick with curved vertices. It should be noted that although padding 102 a-d are illustrated in shape of an isosceles triangle in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, this is by example only, and any shape appropriate for providing protection to the areas of interest discussed herein may be used. In addition, one or more of padding 102 a-d may have a different shape than the others owing to the difference in the size of the areas to be protected.

Referring back to FIG. 1A, protection in the front portion 101 a is provided by padding 102 a and 102 b, which may be positioned in the cavity 108 such that they protect the general areas of the anterior/superior iliac spine. Such positioning may vary based on the size of the garment (e.g. small, medium, large). In some embodiments, in the vertical axis, padding 102 a and 102 b may each be positioned a specified distance from the bottom of the waistband 104 depending on the size of the protective garment 100 (e.g. small, medium, large). For example, each of padding 102 a and 102 b may be positioned such that the top of the padding is 0 to 1.5 inches from the bottom of the waistband 104 depending on the size of the protective garment 100. In addition, in the horizontal axis, each of padding 102 a and 102 b may be positioned a specified distance from the front rise 111, depending on the size of the garment. For example, the right side of padding 102 a and the left side of padding 102 b may each be placed 1-2 inches from the front rise 111. In this way, the padding in the front portion 101 a of protective garment 100 is approximately in the middle of the upper thigh and may be optimally positioned to provide protection to the anterior/superior iliac spine area. The dimensions of padding 102 a and 102 b may vary based on the size of protective garment 100 and the type of material the padding 102 a and 102 b are made of. The dimensions may include thickness, width, and length of padding 102 a and 102 b. In some embodiments, each of padding 102 a and 102 b may be 5-8 centimeters wide, and 6-10 centimeters long.

FIG. 1B illustrates the back portion 101 b of the protective garment 100, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1B also shows the back rise 112 of protective garment 100, which is defined as the distance from the top of inseam 103 to the top of waistband 104. As with padding 102 a and 102 b, padding 102 c may be sown into the cavity 108. Padding 102 c may be positioned in the back portion 101 b such that it provides protection of the tailbone (coccyx) and hairline of the lower back. In some embodiments, in the vertical axis, padding 102 c may be positioned such that the top of padding 102 c is a specified distance from the bottom of waistband 104, wherein the distance depends on the size of protective garment 100. For example, the top of padding 102 c may be within 1 inch of the bottom of waistband 104. In some embodiments, the top of padding 102 c may be flush with the bottom of waistband 104. In the horizontal axis, padding 102 c may be positioned such that the back rise 112 is directly in the center of padding 102 c. Similar to padding 102 a and 102 b, the dimensions of padding 102 c may vary based on the size of protective garment 100 as well as the type of material the padding 102 c is made of. In some embodiments, the shape and dimensions of padding 102 c may be different than the dimensions of padding 102 a and 102 b owing to the difference in size of the areas requiring protection. In some embodiments, padding 102 c may be 10-19 centimeters wide, and 8-12 centimeters long.

FIG. 1C shows a side portion 101 c of the protective garment 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As with padding 102 a and 102 b, padding 102 d may be sown into the cavity 108. Padding 102 d may be positioned in the side portion 101 c such that it provides protection to the user in the area defined by the iliac crest down to the greater trochanter. In some embodiments, in the vertical axis, padding 102 d may be positioned a specified distance from the bottom of waistband 104 depending on the size of the protective garment 100. For example, padding 102 d should be positioned approximately 1 inch from the bottom of waistband 104, depending on the size of protective garment 100. In the horizontal axis, padding 102 d may be positioned a specified distance from both the front rise 111 and the back rise 112, depending on the size of the protective garment 100. For example, padding 102 d may be placed approximately 4-7 inches from both the front rise 111 and the back rise 112 depending on the size of the protective garment 100. Similar to padding 102 a and 102 b, the dimensions of padding 102 d may vary based on the size of protective garment 100 as well as the type of material the padding 102 d is made of. In some embodiments, the shape and dimensions of padding 102 d may be different than the dimensions of padding 102 a, 102 b, and 102 c owing to the difference in the size of the areas requiring protection. In some embodiments, padding 102 d may be 8-11 centimeters wide, and 13-18 centimeters long.

When a force is applied to any of padding 102 a-d (e.g. the impact from a fall), the shock absorptive properties of that padding may absorb the kinetic energy from the impact and/or distribute it across the outer layer 106. In this way, the force ultimately received at and around the pelvic girdle area of the wearer is significantly reduced.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a protective garment 300, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Similar to protective garment 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, protective garment 300 may include a front portion 301 a, back portion 301 b (not shown), side portion 301 c (not shown), padding 302 a and 302 b, padding 302 c, padding 302 d (not shown), inseam 303, waistband 304, inner lining 305 (not shown), and outer layer 306. Protective garment 300 may also include access mechanisms 307 a-d (only 307 a and 307 b are illustrated). Each of access mechanisms 307 a-d may be attached to the outer layer 306, to provide access to the cavity defined by inner lining 305 and outer layer 306 for inserting, positioning, removing and/or replacing the corresponding padding 302 a-d. In this way, a wearer may add/remove, or adjust the positioning of any of padding 302 a-d. Access mechanisms 307 a and b are illustrated in FIG. 3 as zippers, however any suitable access mechanisms can be used to provide a releasable opening in association with the outer layer 306 and to provide access to the cavity defined by inner lining 305 and outer layer 306. In some embodiments, snaps, buckles, clips, hook and loop fastening mechanisms, and other recloseable fasteners and combinations thereof can be used.

FIG. 4A illustrates a front view of padding 400. Padding 400 may be similar to any of padding 102 a-d as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-C. Although illustrated in FIG. 4A as generally triangular in shape, padding 400 may be realized in any shape suitable for protecting the areas of the body discussed in this disclosure. Padding 400 may be made of a foam material suitable for absorbing the kinetic energy from an impact. For example, padding 400 may be made of a closed cell EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) foam material. Closed cell EVA foam material does not absorb water or perspiration and is relatively durable. With respect to FIGS. 1A-C, although padding 102 a-d may be formed from the same material and have similar shape, each of padding 102 a-d may also be formed from different materials and have different shapes. In some embodiments, the material each of padding 102 a-d is made of and the shape/dimensions of each of padding 102 a-d may be based on the part of the body that padding is meant to provide protection to.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side view of padding 102 a. Padding 102 a may have a thickness that provides sufficient protection to the areas discussed above while preventing a bulky appearance. As such, the thickness of padding 102 a may be between 0.4 cm and 1.0 cm, for example. As discussed above, the thickness of padding 102 a may be based on the material padding 102 a is made of.

While aspects of the present invention have been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary, non-limiting embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a protective garment having an inner lining and an outer layer; and a plurality of pads integrated into a cavity defined by the inner lining and the outer layer of the protective garment, wherein each of the plurality of pads is integrated at a particular location so as to simultaneously protect multiple areas of a pelvic girdle area of a wearer.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multiple areas of the pelvic girdle area include an area defined by the anterior/superior iliac spine, an area defined by the tailbone (coccyx) and lower back hairline, and an area defined by the iliac crest and the greater trochanter.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer layer has a planar configuration and the inner lining extends over and along the sides of each pad in the plurality of pads so as to join with the outer layer around a perimeter of each pad.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pads are made of a foam material.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein dimensions of each of the plurality of pads are based, at least in part, on a size of the garment.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pads has a thickness between 0.4 and 1.0 centimeters.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each location within the cavity at which one of the plurality of pads is integrated includes a high friction material to reduce movement of that pad.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the particular location within the cavity at which each of the plurality of pads is integrated is based on a size of the garment.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective garment further comprises inserts configured to provide access to the cavity, and wherein the plurality of pads are removably inserted into the cavity via the inserts.
 10. An apparatus comprising: an inner lining; an outer layer; and a plurality of pads integrated into a cavity defined by the inner lining and the outer layer, wherein each of the plurality of pads is integrated at a particular location so as to simultaneously protect multiple areas of a pelvic girdle area of a wearer including an area defined by the anterior/superior iliac spine, an area defined by the tailbone (coccyx) and lower back hairline, and an area defined by the iliac crest and the greater trochanter.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the outer layer has a planar configuration and the inner lining extends over and along the sides of each pad in the plurality of pads so as to join with the outer layer around a perimeter of each pad.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of pads are made of a foam material.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein dimensions of each of the plurality of pads are based, at least in part, on a size of the outer layer.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of pads has a thickness between 0.4 and 1.0 centimeters.
 15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each particular location within the cavity at which one of the plurality of pads is integrated includes a high friction material to reduce movement of that pad.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the particular location within the cavity at which each of the plurality of pads is integrated is based on a size of the outer layer.
 17. An apparatus comprising: an inner lining; an outer layer; a plurality of pads integrated into a cavity defined by the inner lining and the outer layer, wherein each of the plurality of pads is integrated at a particular location so as to simultaneously protect multiple areas of a pelvic girdle area of a wearer including an area defined by the anterior/superior iliac spine, an area defined by the tailbone (coccyx) and lower back hairline, and an area defined by the iliac crest and the greater trochanter; and means for integrating the plurality of pads into the cavity.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for integrating include a plurality of zippers, snaps, or hook and loop fasteners.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the outer layer has a planar configuration and the inner lining extends over and along the sides of each pad in the plurality of pads to join with the outer layer.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of pads are made of a foam material. 